Potential Impact, Risks Of Weight Loss App For Children Discussed

“The Checkup” blog about a new app by WW called Kurbo intended to help kids lose weight. Dr. Elsie Taveras, division chief of general academic pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and specialist in childhood obesity, warns that, despite some aspects of the app that may be beneficial, it “should not be directly aimed at children, and that children should not be advised to do this on their own without parental involvement.” Considering concerns that “the new app is that putting too much emphasis on weight loss may lead to low self-esteem, depression and eating disorders,” Michelle Cardel, an obesity and nutrition scientist and assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine, “cited a systematic review published this May that found that face-to-face treatment programs for pediatric obesity decreased the risk of eating disorders – but those were professionally supervised interventions, not apps.” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/well/family/helping-children-learn-to-eat-well.html